Making the Switch From Contract to Permanent Employment

Whether you have been a successful contractor for years or are new to the game, you have probably realized that there are pros and cons to being a contract worker. If you have had enough of being self-employed and want to know how to make the switch from contract to permanent employment, these tips can help you succeed.

Look for contract-to-hire positions

Lately, a lot of tech companies are going for the “try before you buy” approach to hiring employees, so these are great opportunities for contract workers like you to transition to permanent employment. These positions give you a foot in the door to a particular company without you directly going for the fulltime position. Contract-to-hire positions are a great way to prove your technical skills as well as demonstrate to the company that you can function well within their offices as well as with their team.

As always: network

While the primary focus of your current contract should be the work you do, that doesn’t mean you cannot gather intel around the office. Your co-workers and bosses make excellent resources and can point you in the direction of job opportunities within the industry.

You want to make your contacts work for you. A recommendation from someone high up in the company will help you as you continue your job search. Gather enough of them and it will become harder for a company to turn you down.

Modify your resume

This may sound like an off-beat approach to resume writing, but do not allow the primary focus of your resume to be your technical skills. The quality of your work and the speed in which you completed it may make you an attractive contract worker, but it doesn’t always demonstrate how well you will work as a permanent employee. Your technical skills are important, but you also want to focus on proving to the company that you can thrive in an office setting.
Researching the company is of the utmost importance. You have to show that you can bring forth innovative ideas that will be beneficial to the company goals in the long run. The problem with contract workers is that they are often good at their jobs – making them the excellent hired guns – but it does not prove to employers that contractors make solid permanent employees. It is your job, via your resume and cover letter, to show that you are more than just a mercenary – you must show that you will change the course of this company for the better.

Be prepared to answer “the question”

It is likely that every hiring manager that you come across is going to ask you why you are making the transition from contract work to permanent employment. It is natural for them to be skeptical of your loyalty to the company, which is why you must be prepared to nail this question at every single interview. It is imperative that you instill confidence in the hiring manager, making it clear that you intend to make a genuine, legitimate switch from contract work to permanent employment, and that you plan on staying with this company for the foreseeable future.